A Dead Dog.

I had this idea that I was going to write about my latest travels, and that it would keep me occupied from what is bothering me. The truth is I can’t think of much else besides what I’ve lost, and I don’t have enough tools to cope with my grief, but this is one way I can share my feelings. My followers have been great to me, I get encouraging emails, I feel like I can share on this platform without being judged harshly. I am about to share something that others may find disturbing, sad, and/or depressive. If you suffer from anxiety like me, or depression, I encourage you to skip this blog post, because it is sad and the last thing I want to do is trigger someone. That is not my intention. My true intention is to share my feelings, to find ways to cope, and to tell others being sad over loss is okay.

Wednesday night, my dad took my dog to the hospital. I was worried sick all day, as soon as I woke up I went to see my dog, who looked like he was in pain. I came down the stairs and kneeled by him, he wouldn’t move because he was in hurt. I put my hand on his head and he closed his eyes. I watched him for a good thirty minutes before I realized he was so uncomfortable, he couldn’t lay on his side, so he would sit up, he couldn’t put his head down, so he just stared at me. He stared at me with his usual sad eyes, but with less light. His usual dark orange-brown eyes seemed like they were lacking the orange tint they usually had. I grabbed a pillow and a blanket and wrapped him up as best as he could and took his final picture. Hoping he would come home from the vet better and happier.

Wednesday night, I saw my dog take his final breath. I’m still trying to sort it all out. I was hoping it was something easy to fix, maybe joint pain or the doggy flue… Anything would have been better. I wasn’t hoping for a miracle, but I was praying to God my dog would be okay. I’ve believed in him so far, how could he let me down now? Solar had a tumor, that was all over his belly and insides. This tumor caused internal bleeding, and the only thing we could do at this point was to put him down.

I knew it was his time before I would admit it to myself. I waited in the car for ten minutes before going into the vet because I just knew, I knew if it was bad enough for me to be at the vet that it was the end. In the car, I kept talking to my dog even though he was somewhere in the cement building. I kept saying “It will be okay boy, we will go home, and you and I will snuggle on the couch and we will be fine.” I knew none of it was true.

I walked into the building and made it right on time to hear the vet say herself, that we could keep him alive for a few more days doped up, or we could make it easy for him. If we are honest people who choose to keep their dog doped up for a few more days are just holding on to false hope. If we had done that my dog would be in pain, miserable and we would watch him suffer so we could have a few more hours with him. By the time she gave us the two options, my dad had put up an emotional wall, nodded his head and said he needed to be put down because he didn’t want my dog in pain anymore. I knew my dad was right, but in that minute, I couldn’t look at him. I felt betrayed and hurt. I kept thinking “How the fuck could we miss a tumor? How the hell are these are only two options?”

The vet walked us to a room with a brown leather couch, a padded rug, with brown tiles underneath, a salt lamp on the far end, two tables by each end of the sofa, a tissue box on both tables with two dimmed lights. Above the couch were pictures of happy dogs with little quotes in each picture. I hated those dogs, I looked at those dogs, and thought “You’re only happy because you’re alive.” By the salt lamps, there was a paper cup dispenser and a white dog bowl with a sink. Farther away from the sink, passed the salt lamp was a clear jar of doggy treats that my dog wouldn’t want.

It’s funny. In that room I thought of a therapist’s office, trying so hard to be a relaxing environment but where you face your fears. I was crying so hard in that room I didn’t think I would remember any details. But I remember everything. I remember everything in such detail I can’t sleep without having panic attacks in the middle of the night.

I was sitting farther away from the door, and my dad closest to the door. I was bawling by this time, using as many tissues as I could. Would the snot ever stop? I was focusing on breathing when my mom called, I picked up my almost dead phone and said hi. She asked me one question, and it was almost like a stab in my stomach. I felt like I would explode starting from my numb toes to the blonde roots in my hair.

“How is the old boy doing?” I couldn’t answer, and she already knew. I could hear her voice shake, this was her baby as much as he was mine. Then she started to try to distract herself, she was trying to make things better, telling me stories of how naughty he was. My dog was an asshole, but he lived his best life, and he makes a good story. All the naughty things he did still make me smile. I am currently bawling writing this, but I have a smile on my face because out of all the assholes in this world I truly believe he was the best of them.

My mom came in ten minutes later, she looked at me with a sideways head and started crying with me. She sat her purse down and sat between my dad and I. Next came in our dog. For our final goodbye. Even with pain pills, his body hurt. He couldn’t lay down right away. He sat uncomfortably and let us pet him. His ears were always the softest part of his body, and I couldn’t stop touching them because I knew I would miss his ears, and his eyes, and his freakishly big paws he never seemed to grow into. He came in, and we all decided it was time. My poor old man couldn’t even lay down with pain pills.

When he finally laid down, he put his head on my moms’ feet just like when he was a puppy. I wanted to think this was the right thing, but I felt like I was being murdered and murdering all at the same time. It was hard to accept my dog was in so much pain this was the only comfortable choice for him. Death hurts the living. I felt sharp pains all over my body. I looked down at my moms’ feet, and the only thing I could think of was “I’m so old now I don’t even care that she is wearing the thickest ankle socks with flats, I should have done that today.”

I stared at her feet for a long time till solar finally moved his head between his paws. He looked somewhat peaceful, he looked like a puppy, how he used to sit. I reached for his ears again, Solar didn’t budge, it’s funny every single day I would tell me dog he was naughty as hell and only sometimes a good boy. Wednesday night, I never once told him he was naughty, he was only my good boy in that moment. He will always be my good boy. Someone came in the room after lightly knocking. She was there to sign the paperwork which my dad did. Thank God because my mom and I couldn’t keep it together. He signed the papers.

The vet came in and laid down on the blanket they had set up for him she was criss-cross applesauce (yes, I still say this) and had three syringes. One pink one, one clear one and one semi-clear one. She looked up and told us the dogs usually go right to sleep. She grabbed the pink syringe, and I had to stop her I asked her what it was, and she said it was the one that would end his heartbeat. I wondered what the other two were and she said they were to flush. I wanted to know if I had to watch all the syringes go in his paw or just one.

It was just one, the Pepto-Bismol pink one with thick goo all the way full. She stuck it in his IV and said she would go slow because sometimes the dogs don’t like the feelings in their veins. Poor Solar was in so much pain he didn’t even budge, I expected him too. This asshole fought anyone who got near his paws, but he was just done. He had no more fight in him, and that’s how I knew it was over. If it weren’t his time, he would have tried to nip her, but he made no moved. His head between his paws, his ears on each arm, he was done. His last breath was halfway through the Pepto liquid, they didn’t really need the full dose, but I assume it was measured by how big he was. He just simply had no more fight left, and he went quickly. After the halfway point my mom looked away, my dad looked away, but I watched every drop of that pink liquid enter his body. The vet quickened the pace after she realized it was done. She took the syringe out and took out her stethoscope from her neck, she scooted closer to my dog to check his heart.

“His heart stopped.” She said
She told us to take as long as we needed, but my parents rushed me out. I patted his head one more time and walked out the door. I had tears pouring down my cheeks, and I knew the front desk ladies were looking at me. I was leaving without my dog.

I think that was the worst part, when you go to the hospital you hope for the best, I was hoping my dog would be okay, but instead, I left watching my dog die. I left my dog dead in the fake therapist office. I felt numb. In fact, I still feel numb emotionally.

Every inch of my body is pounding, my head is aching beyond any a a migraine I have ever felt, tears feel like bricks against my cheeks, and my breath feels short and raspy. I sleep and wake up exhausted, I eat, and it feels like it turned to lava in my stomach. I feel pricks on my elbows, and I feel bruised on my back. I wake up with my hands clenched, fingernail dents on my palms. My old man bear covered in tears and drool. You may be thinking it’s terrible or not okay to be going through this and I’m hear to tell you it’s normal.

Maybe not to this extent but when you lose something or someone, and you are grieving it is normal and okay to feel pain. It is normal to feel exhausted, It is normal to feel hurt. It is normal to not feel happy, society thinks you need to show everyone how happy you are ALL the time, fuck society. You are allowed to feel numb and hurt once in a while. I am drained from writing this, but I had to share. I don’t have a lot of coping skills when it comes to this sort of thing, and I could never share this in person. I can write, it’s something I am good at.

I want you all to take a minute and thank God for the pets he gave us, and then I want you all to go and be with your pets. I didn’t know my last snuggle would be a week ago, I work so much I feel like I missed his whole life. I focused on work, and I forgot to be with my family, I forgot to come home and snuggle my animals. If you’re not religious that’s okay, think your happiest thoughts and then go snuggle your animals, be with your family, at the end of the day that’s all you have.

If you’ve been through any kind of loss, I will pray for you tonight. If you find yourself sad and anxious, know you are not alone, and it is okay to feel things other than happiness. Anyone who has read this whole thing thank you. This wasn’t easy for me to write, I don’t want any “Sorry for your loss.” Comments, if you feel compelled to leave a comment, please tell me your best pet stories. I don’t care if it is 8 pages long, I would rather hear your best memories with your favorite animal than a sorry. I’m not sorry, this happened for a reason, and I will be happy again.

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42 Comments

I dyo respect you for getting your feelings out like this. I respect you for honoring your feelings, your love, and your loss. We all die and we love in a word culture that doesn’t embrace the impermenance of all of nature. In 2016, I suffered a loss that made me feel the way you described. It was a bad affair. The depression was so deep, I prepared to die. I read the Tibetan book of living and dying and learned so much through facing death and finding the beauty in impermenance. If you can face it, you can face anything. Keep honoring your own vulnerability. Don’t put up emotional walls. Learn to stay open and love wholly, despite all the pain. May your beautiful rest in blissful peace – his transformation will also transform you.

Thank you for saying that. I think a lot of people try to hide pain. They say theyre sorry for my loss and I’ll get over it. Yes I I’ll learn to make myself happy again and move foward but right now I’m not focused on being happy I’m focusing on living and unfortunately that means facing the pain and talking openly about my pain even when it makes others uncomfortable. My goal was to tell others it is okay if this is happening. You commenting here and sharing with me is proof there is a group of us who can feel the despair and come out the other side. So thank you for commenting. Thank you for being with me and thank you for taking time to read what I wrote.

Hi Uptight pretty girl, I’m sorry when I typed my message I was on my tiny phone keyboard and let a lot of typos slide. I’m going to create a post that’s inspired by you… on my site about my tiny chihuahua whom I love and never get to see anymore… I crave the love of animals and often stop them on their walks to see if I can connect and get a little therapy. The keepers of the pets are never too crazy about it, but some of them love and appreciate it. Be sure to hug as many doggies as you can, as often as possible. It’s good medicine. Much love to you & thank you for your awesome reply.

That is very sweet of you! Please let me know when you put the new post up I’d love to read it! I always pet all the dogs I can especially the ones that come in to my store. I really believe every animal deserves as much love as possible!

I completely and utterly understand. I had the same thing happen almost exactly a year ago. I couldn’t read the last bit because I didn’t want to revisit the pain, but I’m sending you all the love that I can because I understand. Be kind to yourself and work through each day the best you can. Baby steps just to get through this. God bless ❤️❤️

I knew some people wouldn’t be able to read this blog post fully. And I accepted that fact when I wrote this. I had to talk about it because I can’t in person. I am working on getting through the day without crying. My home feels empty. This is one of the worst things, and I had to reach out because I knew there were others. I knew there was a group of people who would understand. All dogs are mortal. Thank you for reading.

I didn’t know sweet Po died! Oh my dear, I am so very sorry. I completely understand the grief and pain you’re in now. Grieve on your own schedule. Cry if you need to cry. Vent if you need to vent. We are here for you. Hugs and very sincere condolences. 😥❤

Thank you, I reached out because I needed someone to understand. This platform is full of writers who know pain, who show me it’s okay to be completely vulnerable and to openly talk about whatever is going on even if it’s uncomfortable. Thank you for reading, thank you for being with me, thank you for understanding me.

When I had to put my sweet pug Sparky down a couple of years ago, my heart broke. It has not fully healed and I don’t think it ever well. You will feel better at some point I promise, but in the mean time like I said, just grieve. Grieve and be in your own space and do what you need to do.

Wow, that must have been so hard to write, but I think so many people who have had to make this decision can relate to those feelings. I hate goodbyes, even when you know you’re doing the kindest thing.
But you wanted happy stories. I used to have an amazing golden retriever girl called Cindy. She had the softest fur and loved people – usually more than I did! She always had so much energy and looked for the fun in everything. She taught me to be a better person! She made me proud when she did something clever, and she made me laugh when she tried to pick up the biggest sticks or get the attention of random guys – (I was single at the time and friends joked she was trying to help me meet new people)!
I miss her, but we had so much fun and I hope for you that you’ll be able to think of all the good times and the times he made you smile!

Very sorry. It is always heartbreaking. Which is why we are resisting any covert attempts from our daughters for a new kitty… However adorable. Maybe I’m getting old but it seems dogs and cats are getting more tumors than when I was a kid. And it is very sad. The helplessness.
Thank you for sharing.

I think when I am ready I will adopt an older dog. I’m heart broken and sad and won’t do it any time soon. But I also know the love we can give our animals is worth all the pain. Through this whole thing I learned I would never ever give up the relationship I had with my dog, and though it may not be the same with another dog, I can still give one a home and the love they deserve. I will be with someone or something to their very last breath, even when it pains me.

Thank you that is actually one of the best compliments I have ever had. I have always been very in tune with my feelings and I feel very very deeply. I sometimes have a hard time in person sharing my feelings but I have always been able to express them in my writing. Thank you for reading.

Losing a pet is one of the most difficult experiences a person will face. They are part of the family and give us so many memories. He knew you were there at the end and that’s the most important thing.

That is very true. When you get a puppy you know they grow up but by the time they go you aren’t prepared for it. I knew one day I would have to say goodbye, see his last breath, but I didn’t understand how real death was.

Well I can’t give this post a like. There was nothing to like about it, except how well you put into words your pain. I’ve lost some good friends over the years (dogs), but rarely can I write about the experience. My best friend in the word went with his eyes open. Lord, I miss that guy even still. I also knew a sweet little puppy who died horribly of distemper. That puppy didn’t deserve that, and I hate the universe sometimes because it just doesn’t care. No one cares. Anyway, this was a lovely post.

Surprisingly this was one of my most viewed posts but hardly anyone liked this one. And I agree. I wouldn’t like this either. But the pain is real and its hard for me to talk out loud most days. Sometimes I hate the universe too. I try and try to love it, what is thrown my way but this was an experience too painful to love. I think a lot of people have a hard time sharing about losing people or pets and for me this was the only way I could let people in. Thank you for taking the time to read, thank you for responding and sharing with me.

This specific post had gotten the most views out of all my posts but the least likes. I completely understand, this was hard for me to write, and probably pretty hard to read. I needed a way to cope and I know that even when people don’t like this post, because there isn’t much to like about it, they understand me and support me. I usually try not to write about pain and suffering but if we are honest it is a part of life, and learning to be open and talk about pain is my way of moving forward.

Thank you. In an odd way it reset me. I always thought the worst thing to happen to me was breaking up with my ex, oh, I was so wrong. My view of the world was off, I appreciate life a lot more now, even the smallest little things have a bigger better meaning to me now.

They give us so much love and teach us to enjoy our life and be happy! You were there for him and he knew it! This is the most important thing! Is awful but think that he’s ok now, he crossed the rainbow and he’s running and playing with his friends. Cherish every single moment! I know is not easy in our busy life but we should take more time for ourselves and enjoy the small things and our lovely pets. We are everything for them!

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. Dogs and other pets are our family and to lose one is heartbreaking. It’s lovely you wrote about it. I had to do the exact same thing with my dog I had for over thirteen years. She had cancer over a year ago so she had to go to heaven. I still cry over her leaving. I had tears in my eyes reading about your loss.

Thank you for your mail. I have also got a similar story to tell you. Our beloved Jack, the cute loving Labrador pup joined our family when he was only two weeks old, left us in a similar way after living twelve long years with us. Actually he was the younger brother to our only son. We really miss him very much, but we have to face the reality. Pray for him and that is the only thing we can do. Now we have another cutie – a maltis toy dog ( we never call them dog, as they are our family members) and we believe that she is the rebirth of our Jack. So think positively, you will be alright .

Thank you for sharing that! My sister just told me the other night she thinks I am a lot like my dog that just passed away. And it made me a little sad but I realized its a good thing. One day when I’m ready I will get a dog and I hope our connection will be just as strong.